In the insulated glass industry and in the mobile home industry, an important problem is to find a sealant composition which will seal glass, as well as a variety of other materials (such as aluminum), and which will be economical, have good resistance to weathering by water exposure and ultraviolet radiation, and have good adhesive strength both before and after weathering. Preferably, the sealant also should require no surface primer.
Furthermore, preferably the sealant possesses the characteristics of having low moisture vapor transmission (which is a measure of the rate of transmission of water vapor through a thickness of the sealant), high elasticity or percent recovery (which measures the ability of the sealant to return to its original shape after extreme expansion or elongation and therefore to continue to adhere to the surface being sealed without failure due to distortion), and a bulk melt viscosity which is not so high that large amounts of energy will be wasted on melting the sealant if it is to be applied as a melt.
It is an object of this invention to prepare an improved sealant. It is a further object of this invention to use the sealant to prepare improved articles of manufacture.
The present invention provides an excellent solution to the need for a sealant with high adhesive strength which will withstand much weathering and which requires no surface primer.